ELMINSTER: THE MAKING OF A MAGE (Forgotten Realms) [Hardcover]

Ed Greenwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 1995

An account of the early years of the master wizard Elminster follows a young boy who struggled to overcome hardship and his own shortcomings to become the most powerful mage in the Realms. 50,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An old wizard with the power to delight youngsters and horrify adults reveals his early beginnings in this strong fantasy, which traces the evolution of a mage's powers. This joins others in the 'Forgotten Realms' series: readers with a prior familiarity will be the best bets for this strong winner. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (January 2, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156076936X
• ISBN-13: 978-1560769361
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,018,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms setting, is the best-selling author of hundreds of novels, game products, and articles. His most recent novel for Wizards of the Coast is The City of Splendors, a collaboration with Elaine Cunningham. He is also the author of the Band of Four novels published by Tor Books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone has to start at level one, February 25, 2004

By 

R. Reinhart "rar0831" (Minocqua, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elminster: The Making of a Mage (Forgotten Realms) (Mass Market Paperback)

While I was reading the reviews for this book. The few one-star reviewers made NO SENSE. Calling Elminster a wuss. Excuse me he is only a kid. Actually pretty strong kid after seeing his parents murdered right in front of his eyes. Then they say there is nudity. I have read about nudity in some of Lackey's books and this is G-rated. I love the progression of the book just like in a PC generated D&D game which divided up each part of the book While I read the book I saw no typos and Greenwood did a great story. The fact is that there was not enough history and not to much. But I look forward to the rest of the series with great excitement. The only critical thing I have to say about the series is the fact that the order of the books are kinda of confusing. I will list what I think is the correct order:
1. Elminster: The Making of the Mage.
2. Elminster in Myth Drannor
3. The Temptation of Elminster
4. Elminster in Hell
5. Upcoming Elminster's Daughter.

I hope everyone will enjoy this great series.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What are the critics motives, I wonder, January 10, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elminster: The Making of a Mage (Forgotten Realms) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read hundreds of science fiction and fantasy books along with hundreds of non fiction books -- included were dozens of D&D titles -- prior to this one.

Given the one-star reviews, I only bought this one book in the Elminster series -- usually, I buy all the books in a series -- but, the one-star reviews made me cautious.

This was a good read -- basically I went straight through over two days.

I think the one-star reviewers had an axe-to-grind. For example, nudity was "mentioned" in the book, but it was very non-graphic, and in good taste -- it fit the story line -- no basis for complaint, in my opinion. For example, lovemaking was alluded to in the book, but it was completely non-explicit and non-"sexy" -- it also fit the story -- no basis for complaint in my opinion.

I agree that the other reviewers are entitled to a different opinion as to what constitutes an enjoyable read. But, having read the book, the comments seemed a bit much, considering the actual verbiage in the book. The negative comments misinformed me.

I was very satisfied with the book, and will buy more by the same author.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is top notch in the annals of fantasy and magic., November 5, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elminster: The Making of a Mage (Forgotten Realms) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ed Greenwood did a great job with Elminster: The Making of a Mage. If you've read other books with the masterful Elminster in it, you will be pleasantly surprised when reading how his stupendous mage powers came about. The book is full of magic and intrigue, so you're kept interested throughout the book and even wanting more. For those of you who haven't read any of the Forgotten Realms series, you will still find a great read from this book. Elminster is a commanding mage who is centuries old. He is well respected by all in the Realm, including those that oppose him. Finding out why and how he became the mage that he is now will leave you enlightened and full of awe at the wisdom and character of Elminster.